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Canada
Sprint Weekend
Race1h 10m
Lando Norris says the threat of rain at the Canadian Grand Prix could make the race âinsanely trickyâ because the drivers have not yet experienced the 2026 cars in wet conditions. Norris said: "I have no idea. We've never driven in the rain. I don't think anyone knows how difficult it's going to be to drive these cars around. I think it could be an insanely tricky race. It's difficult enough to get temperature into a soft tyre, let alone when it's 10 degrees colder tomorrow and we're going to have inters and wets on the car."
Charles Leclerc says his Canadian Grand Prix weekend has been a "disaster" so far and expects the forecast cold, wet conditions in Montreal to make his problems worse. Leclerc said: "It's been a disaster. From yesterday's brake problems to the issues putting tyres in the right window today â only on the last Q3 lap did the tyres come closer to the operational window and work a little better â the whole weekend has been a disaster. It's not the same conditions. Unfortunately, with the problems I've had so far, which are temperature problems, with the rain I think it'll be worse."
Red Bull team principal Laurent Mekies says Max Verstappen is âat the heart of the projectâ and that he is not concerned about the four-time champion leaving the team, amid renewed speculation about Verstappenâs future and reports linking him to McLaren after race engineer Gianpiero Lambiase moved there. Mekies said: "Look, no, I'm not concerned with Max following GP. We always have this joke. We are not going to ask Max every week if he's going to stay. Max is telling us he's happy at Red Bull. He is involved in every strategic decision we are making. He is at the heart of the project. He is pushing with us and we both want the same thing: getting back to a more competitive package. And he is central to that."
Pirelli chief F1 engineer Simone Berra says a wet Canadian Grand Prix in the low temperatures forecast for MontrĂŠal would be a âperfect stormâ, and believes full wet tyres could be the better choice over intermediates in those conditions. Berra said: "Here, I think is the perfect storm, I would say, because we have cold temperatures, a low-energy circuit. If it rains here, it will be complicated, because looking at the forecast, they expect to have 11, 12 degrees' air temperatures. I think it would be more tricky on the intermediates, a little bit less tricky with the wet... it is a possibility that we could end up that the wet is â for one time in the last years, faster than intermediates... Personally, I would use the wet tyres."
McLaren team principal Andrea Stella says Ferrari and Red Bull will have an advantage over McLaren and Mercedes at the Canadian Grand Prix because they have already done Pirelli wet-weather testing this year, with rain forecast in Montreal. Stella said: "I do think that this is an advantage, because there's uncertainty in relation to the behaviour of the power unit. In the wet, things deviate even more from what you anticipate and from what you can simulate. So the power unit remains certainly an element of variability that is concerning. And if you have tested with it, you might have known a little bit more. Likewise, from a tyre point of view, it's unclear whether the tyres will work within their window."
McLaren boss Andrea Stella says the behaviour of Formula 1âs 2026-spec power units in wet conditions is a âconcerningâ variable ahead of the Canadian Grand Prix, with only a few teams having tested in the wet and McLaren yet to do so this season. Stella said: "In terms of the wet session, there are a few teams that have had the possibility to test and drive in wet conditions. I do think that this is an advantage, because there is uncertainty in relation to the behaviour of the power unit. We see that talk pretty much in every debrief in dry conditions after a few events⌠So the power unit remains certainly an element of variability that is concerning, and if you have tested with it [in wet conditions], you might know a little bit more."
Toto Wolff says Mercedes has told George Russell and Andrea Kimi Antonelli that neither should expect the other to leave space in wheel-to-wheel fights, after their heated battle in the Canadian Grand Prix Sprint. Wolff said: "We agreed that we trust them, they know how to push. But in any case, no one is expecting the other one to leave space, because it's too important."
McLaren boss Andrea Stella says everyone in Formula 1 will lose if manufacturers block plans to tweak the power-unit rules for 2027, including a shift away from a 50/50 split between combustion and electrical power towards 60/40. Andrea Stella said: "This is a general interest that should prevail over the particular [self] interests, because if we don't have a good sport, if we don't preserve the value of the business, the value of F1, everyone will have a loss. So I do hope that the conversation ongoing will lead to a successful position because this will overcome, finally, some of the limitations that are fundamentally inherent to this hardware that we are using at the moment."
Liam Lawson says he has to be âcarefulâ racing Sergio Perez because the Cadillac driver is âquite aggressiveâ, after their latest clash in Saturdayâs Montreal sprint race in which Perez was penalised for forcing Lawson off the track while defending. Lawson said: "Obviously [I was] trying to come through the field from the back. And I just have to be careful when racing him. He's quite aggressive. So in the end, he pushed me off, and I just decided not to race him anymore. It's not really worth it for no points. But yeah, it seems to be a thing when I race with him."
Oscar Piastri says the Canadian Grand Prix could be a âvoyage into the unknownâ with forecasts suggesting a wet race in Montreal and few drivers and teams having experience of the 2026 cars in wet conditions. Piastri said: "We did a lot of preparation in Miami, trying to understand [running the power unit in wet conditions] and I think the conclusion was we don't know what's going to happen. And when you've got a few hundred, if not thousands, of the best engineers in the world that don't know what's going to happen, it's an interesting place to be in. So I'm sure it's the same up and down the grid, but there is definitely going to be a large element of the unknown."
Max Verstappen said Red Bull gave him âno feedbackâ during a âconfusingâ Canadian Grand Prix qualifying session as he ended up sixth on the grid in Montreal. Verstappen said: "Every lap I did, I went slower on the straights, I was gaining lap time in the corners and then on the straights I was losing more than I was gaining. I asked a few times [for feedback from the team], but I heard nothing. I got nothing back, no feedback, so I just drove laps, but it wasn't too good."
Gabriel Bortoleto says he is expecting to lose positions at the start of Formula 1âs Canadian Grand Prix, after he and Audi team-mate Nico Hulkenberg both dropped four places at the start of the sprint in Montreal. Bortoleto said: "Most likely we're going to lose positions again tomorrow, unless everyone behind me fucks it up at the start and I do a mega start. It's true! What can I do? I'm not going to lie, be the optimistic here and then tomorrow we lose positions. It's something we are working on, it's clear, it's not pointing fingers, it's just a problem we have that we need to work [on]."
Mercedes driver Kimi Antonelli said he asked Toto Wolff for clarity over Mercedesâ engagement rules after his Sprint clash with team-mate George Russell. Antonelli said: "For sure, I think probably we just need a bit of clarity, and then once it's clear, then it's all going to be fine. But the main thing for the team is that there's no contact, that we don't crash into each other, which in the end, was very close. So, for sure, we will clarify, and everything is going to be fine."
Charles Leclerc said his Canadian Grand Prix weekend has been âone, if not the worstâ of his career and âa nightmareâ after struggling to feel his Ferrari through practice and qualifying in Montreal. Leclerc said: "Honestly, it's one, if not the worst weekend of my career. Since FP1, I haven't had one lap where I could feel the car. I just felt like I was going to put it into the wall in every single corner I do just because the tyres were completely out of the window today. I'll analyse on what I can do to be better in these kinds of conditions⌠because it's been really a nightmare so far."
Franco Colapinto said it had been a âperfect dayâ after reaching Q3 at the Canadian Grand Prix for a second straight round and qualifying 10th for Alpine, ahead of team-mate Pierre Gasly. Colapinto said: "I think today has been a perfect day. It's been very good in both sessions â the Sprint race and Qualifying. The race was very strong, very good pace, close to the points, and now again going flat-out from the start to the end and setting very good laps. I have confidence in the car and I'm very pleased with the result."
Kimi Antonelli says he will ârememberâ the margin of 0.068 seconds after being beaten to pole by the same gap in both sprint and grand prix qualifying at the Canadian Grand Prix by Mercedes team-mate George Russell. Antonelli said: "Yeah, it was again 68 milliseconds. I'm going to remember that number for a very long time. Yeah, I mean, it was a difficult session. It was very difficult to get the tyres in the right window, especially for lap one. So of course, it was a pity to miss out by this close, but I think it was still a decent session and George did a great lap."
Lando Norris says the Canadian Grand Prix could be âinsanely trickyâ if the forecast rain arrives, with only a few drivers having tested the new cars in wet conditions and temperatures also expected to drop in Montreal. Norris said: "I have no idea. We've never driven in the rain. I don't think anyone knows how difficult it's going to be to drive these cars around. Not bad, just how difficult it's going to be. I mean, it is our job, so I think the expectation obviously should be there, but I think it could be an insanely tricky race. I mean, it's difficult enough to get temperature into a soft tyre, let alone when it's 10 degrees colder tomorrow and we're going to have inters and wets on the car."
Ollie Bearman says Haas have been âchasing our tailsâ at the Canadian Grand Prix as the team tries to optimise a significant upgrade package he has been running all weekend. Bearman said: "We've been chasing our tail all weekend, really. It's been really, really challenging. Haven't been able to find a solution that's worked. The performance is there, but it's just the characteristics of the car have become really challenging. So we're kind of balancing that knife-edge."
George Russell said Mercedes made set-up changes based on the expected rain that left the car âout of syncâ in qualifying for the Canadian Grand Prix, even though he still took pole position. Russell said: "We made some changes based on the forecast for tomorrow. It may have hurt us a little bit for now. It just took the car out of sync a little bit, and both of us; Kimi was definitely more competitive than I in that session, but we weren't as clear ahead of everyone else as we were yesterday."
Arvid Lindblad admitted he was âa little bit sadâ to qualify ninth for the Canadian Grand Prix after hearing during Q1 and Q2 that he could be higher up the order. Lindblad said: "Part of me was a little bit disappointed â I was hearing sort of P5, P6, P7 during Q1 and Q2, so to end up P9 was a little bit sad! But at the same time I think it was inevitable when the top teams figured everything out, so I think it was the best that was possible â best of the rest. Looking forward to tomorrow now."
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